Seat belt buckle

ABSTRACT

A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A BELT TONGUE HAVING MEANS THEREON DEFINING A LATCHING SURFACE, A BASE MEMBER COMPRISING A CENTRAL WEB SECTION HAVING A REENTRANTLY FOLDED LATCH RETAINER, AND A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL, UPSTANDING FLANGE SECTIONS, A LATCH MEMBER UNDERLYING SAID TONGUE AND ENGAGED IN SAID LATCH RETAINER, A BELT RETAINER AT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID WEB SECTION FROM SAID LATCH RETAINER AND ALIGNED THEREWITH, THE LATCH MEMBER DEFINING A LATCHING FACE ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LATCHING SURFACE OF THE TONGUE, AN INTERNAL MANUALLY OPERABLE MEMBER, A COVER MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS THE UPPER SIDE OF THE BASE MEMBER AND DEFINING AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE MANUAL OPERATOR MEMBER IS ACCESSIBLE, AND MEANS FOR BIASING THE LATCH MEMBER TOWARD A POSITION WHEREIN THE LATCHING FACE THEREOF IS ENGAGED WITH THE LATCHING SURFACE OF SAID TONGUE AND WHEREIN THE LATERALLY OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE TONGUE ARE CLAMPINGLY ENGAGED BETWEEN THE MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF THE LATCH MEMBER AND THE FLANGE SECTIONS OF THE BASE MEMBER.

June 29, 1971 R. c. FISHER SEAT BELT BUCKLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 11, 1968 INVIQNY). 1 770i? K #57?! United States Patent 3,588,969 SEAT BELT BUCKLE Robert Cripps Fisher, 580 E. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 48013 Filed Sept. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 759,066 Int. Cl. A44b 11/26 US. Cl. 24230 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE -A safety belt buckle assembly comprisig a belt tongue having means thereon defining a latching surface; a base member comprising a central web section having a reentrantly folded latch retainer, and a pair of spaced parallel, upstanding flange sections; a latch member underlying said tongue and engaged in said latch retainer; a belt retainer at the opposite end of said web section from said latch retainer and aligned therewith, the latch member defining a latching face engageable with the latching surface of the tongue; an internal manually operable member; a cover member extending across the upper side of the base member and defining an opening through which the manual operator member is accessible, and means for biasing the latch member toward a position wherein the latching face thereof is engaged with the latching surface of said tongue and wherein the laterally opposite edges of the tongue are clampingly engaged between the marginal edge portions of the latch member and the flange sections of the base member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The continuously increasing importance and emphasis on safety in automobile vehicles has resulted in the need for maximizing the strength of seat belt buckle constructions. This is accomplished by positive metal-to-metal engagement between the seat belt buckle latching assembly and the associated belt tongue, thus minimizing to the extreme the possibility of faulty or spurious latching. Seat belt buckles construction heretofore known and used have generally not been of maximum strength due to the fact that the opening or unlatching forces and internal constructions thereof have resulted in a couple or bending movement acting on the buckle base. Further, it has often been possible to insert the belt tongue under an openable handle or cover in a manner such that positive lock ing engagement is not achieved.

The present invention provides a new and improved seat belt buckle construction which is designed particularly to satisfy the above requirements through a novel arrangement of component parts permitting the buckle to be constructed in a manner so as to be of maximum strength, extremely compact size and configuration, while at the same time being rugged, durable, and having a positive action. More particularly, the present invention provides a novel seat belt buckle construction which comprises a minimum number of component parts which are arranged so as to be extremely compact, yet function to positively transfer stress without excessive bending movements as well as to prevent spurious latching.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The buckle construction of the present invention is characterized by a unique geometry which aligns the stress points on the web of the base member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top elevational view of the seat belt buckle of the present invention, with the tongue member removed therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the seat belt buckle of the present invention with the tongue member operatively received therewithin;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the seat belt buckle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional view similar to FIG. 5, with the belt tongue inserted within the seat belt buckle of the present invention;

FIG. '7 is a longitudinal cross sectional view similar to FIG. 6 and illustrates the relative operative positions of the component parts of the seat belt buckle of the present invention when the same has been actuated in order to permit the belt tongue to be removed, and

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 3, a seat belt buckle assembly 10 is shown as comprising a plurality of component parts, namely, a base member 12, a belt tongue 14, a latch member 16, a cover member 18, a push button or manual operator member 20, a latch spring 22 and an assembly spring 24. As will be hereinafter described in detail, the buckle assembly 10' is adapted to function in removably receiving the belt tongue 14 internally or interiorly of the base member 12 in a manner such that the tongue 14 is latchingly secured within the member 12 until such time as the operator member 20 is biased from a normal deactuated position to an actuated position, at which time the latch member 16 is biased out of engagement with the belt tongue 14 to permit withdrawal thereof from within the base member 12 and hence separation of a pair of belt sections 26 and 28 which are operatively secured to the belt tongue 14 and base member 12, respectively.

Referring now in detail to the construction of the base member 12, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the member 12 is generally channel-shaped in. transverse cross section and comprises a central web section 30 and a pair of upstanding, spaced parallel fiange sections 32 and 34 defining laterally inwardly extending shoulder portions 36 and 37, respectively, which extend parallel to and are spaced upwardly from the web section 30. One end of the web section 30 extends longitudinally outwardly from the flange sections 32, 34 and is formed with an elongated transversely extending opening 38 through which one end of the belt section 28 is adapted to be looped. As shown in FIG. 1, the belt section 28 is folded so as to taper in the event the width of the belt section 28 is greater than the width of the opening 38. The end of the belt section 28 which is looped through the opening 38 may be reversely bent and be secured to itself by any suitable means, as by sewing, rivets or the like, as is well known in the art. The end of the web section 30 opposite the opening 38 is formed with a re-entrantly folded latch retainer portion 39 which is spaced laterally inwardly from the flange sections 32, 34 and with the web section 30 defines an internal transversely extending channel 40 which functions in a manner later to be described in operatively supporting the latch member 16 interiorly of the assembly 10. It is to be noted that in accordance with one of the features of the instant invention, channel 40 is aligned with slot 38 so that stress is transmitted directly through the web portion 30 without a bending movement thereupon.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the latch member 16 is generally rectangular in shape and defines an internal, generally rectangular-shaped opening 42 adjacent one end thereof. The same end of the latch member 16 is formed with a pair of spaced parallel, longitudinally extending actuating projections or fingers 44 and 46 which are adapted to cooperate with the operator member 20 in a manner later to be described in effecting movement of the latch member 16 between deactuated and actuated positions. The latch member 16 is formed with a central longitudinally extending upstruck section 48 which defines a laterally extending latching face 50 at the juncture thereof with the opening 42. The end of the upstruck section 48 opposite the latching face 50 is formed with laterally extending recessed portion 52. The longitudinally extending sides of the latch member 16 define marginal edge portions 54 and 56 which terminate at the end of the member 16 opposite the fingers 44, 46. A pair of outwardly extending positioning cars 58 and 60 which are bent upwardly or in the same direction as the upstruck section 48, are formed on the member 16 and function to position the same centrally of the base member 12, i.e., equidistant from the flange sections 32, 34 upon assembly of the member 16 within the base member 12.

The belt tongue member 14 is of a generally flat or planar configuration and is formed with a central generally rectangular shaped opening 62 which defines a laterally extending latching surface 64 adapted to be selectively engaged by the latching face 50 of the latch member 16. The longitudinally extending edges of the tongue member 14 are recessed, as seen at 66 and 68, in such a manner that the member 14 may be received interiorly of the assembly 10. The end of the tongue member 14 opposite the opening 62 is formed with an elongated transversely extending opening 70 within which the tapered end of the belt section 26 is looped and is reversely bent and secured to itself in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2.

The spring member 22 is preferably fabricated of hardened spring steel and has one end portion thereof 72 reversely bent upon itself, whereby to define an internal transversely extending channel or recess 74. Upon assembly of the buckle 10, the spring member 22 is adapted to be clipped onto the lower side of the latch member 16 such that the recessed portion 52 of the latch member 16 is received within the channel 74, with the result that the main body of the spring 22 is disposed subjacent the latch member 16, while the end portion 72 thereof overlies a portion of the upper side of the upstruck section 48. The end portion 72 of the spring member 22 is preferably formed with a downwardly projecting detent or embossment 76 which is adapted to be received within an opening or aperture 78 formed in the latch member 16, with the detent 76 and aperture 78 functioning to properly position the spring member 22 relative to the latch member 16.

As best seen in FIGS. through 7, the main body of the spring member 22 is generally arcuate in shape and the end thereof opposite the end portion 72 is formed with an upwardly extending section 80 which terminates at its upper end in a downwardly inclined end section 82. The sections 80, 82 of the spring member 22 define bearing surfaces 84 and 86 on the lower and upper sides of the member 22 respectively, and the former of which is adapted to bear against the upper side of the web section 30 of the base member 12, while the latter bearing surface 86 is adapted to selectively engage the lower side of the belt tongue 14 in effecting disengagement of the latching surface 64 thereof from the latch member 16, as will later be described.

The operator member 20 comprises a main body section 88 and mounting section 90 which is arranged parallel to the section 88 but is offset or spaced downwardly therefrom, as best seen in FIGS. 5 through 7. The body section 88 is adapted to carry an emblem, medallion or the like, respectively designated by the plate 92, which may be fixedly secured by any suitable means to the upper surface of the member 20. The laterally opposite sides of the operator member 20 are formed with a pair of spaced,

parallel downwardly extending support sections 94 and 96 which are adapted to bear against the upper side of the latch member 16 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The end of the operator member 20 opposite from the offset mounting section is inclined downwardly, as seen at 98, and is formed with a laterally extending edge portion 100 which is adapted to bear against the upper sides of the fingers 44, 46- of the latch member 16, with the result that downward movement of the operator member 20 in FIGS. 5 through 7 will result in corresponding downward movement of the latch member 16, as will be described in connection with the overall operation of the buckle assembly 10.

The assembly spring member 24 is preferably fabricated of a suitable spring steel material and is of a generally C-shaped configuration in top elevational view, as best seen in FIG. 8. The member 24 comprises a main, laterally extending section 102 and a pair of longitudinally extending leg sections 104 and 106 which are adapted to be received interiorly of the base member 12 and bear against the laterally inner sides of the flange sections 32 and 34. A central portion of the spring section 102 is longitudinally offset, as seen at 108, and projects between the fingers 44 and 46 of the latch member 16. Upon assembly of the belt buckle 10, the latch member 16 is positioned interiorly of the base member 12 and thereafter, the spring 24 is inserted within the end of the base member 12 defined between the flange sections 32, 34 to the position shown in FIG. 8, whereby the spring 24 functions to properly position the latch member 16.

The cover member 18 is of a generally dome shaped configuration, i.e., concave downwardly, and defines a centrally located, generally rectangular shaped access opening 110 through which the operator member 20 is manually accessible and with which the medallion or insignia plate 92 is centrally aligned. The cover member 18 comprises four generally trapezoidal shaped side sections 112, 114, 116, and 118 comprising downwardly inclined edge portions 120, 122, 124 and 126, respectively, which define the periphery of the opening 110. Preferably the innermost edges of the portions 120426 are reversed upon themselves, as seen at 128 and 130 in FIG. 4. The side sections 112-118 are inclined outwardly and downwardly and terminate at the outermost portions thereof in downwardly extending portions 132, 134, 136 and 138, respectivley. The edge portion 134 is formed with a generally horizontally disposed inwardly extending flange portion 140 which defines a transversely extending internal channel 142 adapted to receive and operatively support the offset mounting section 90 of the operator member 20, as best seen in FIGS. 5 through 7, whereby the operator member 20 is pivotably supported along a transversely extending axis for movement between the positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The flange portion 140 and reentrantly extending portion 39 defines a tongue receiving opening 144 which is adapted to removably receive the tongue member 14 in the manner hereinafter to be described. The edge sections 112-118 are inclined outwardly and downwardly from the cover member 18 and is adapted to close the end of the base member 12 opposite the opening 144, with the edge portion 138 being formed with a pair of laterally inwardly extending recesses 146 and 148 adapted to receive the ends of the shoulder portions 36 and 37 upon assembly of the cover member 18 on the base member 12.

The seat belt buckle 10 of the present invention is assembled by first mounting the spring member 22 on the lower side of the latch member 16, and thereafter inserting the latch member 16 and spring member 22 between the flange sections 32 and 34 of the base member 12 from the end of the base member 12 opposite the re entrantly portion 39. The latch member 16 is moved longitudinally of the base member 12 until the end thereof carrying the spring member 22 overlies the portion 39 of the base member 12. It will be noted that when the latch member 16 is thus positioned, the surface 84 of the spring member 22 bears against the upper side of the web section 30 of the base member 12. Thereafter, the assembly spring 24 is inserted into the end of the base member 12 to the position illustrated in FIG. 8, whereby to maintain the latch member 16 in its operative position. The operator member 20 is then positioned directly above the latch member 16, with the support sections 94, 96 and edge portion 100 bearing directly against the upper side of the latch member 16, as previously described. Finally, the cover member 18 is oriented directly above the base member 12, and a pair of upwardly extending tangs 150 and 152 formed on the ends of the shoulder portions 36, 38, respectively, are received within the channel 142 of the member 18. The edge portion 138 is thereafter snapped over the offset ends of the flange sections 32, 34, with the recesses 146 and 148 thereby receiving a pair of longitudinally extending locking tab portions 154 and 156 formed on the shoulder portions 36, 38, respectively.

In operation of the buckle assembly 10, the belt tongue member 14 is inserted through the opening 144 and thereby biases the latch member 16 from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 7. When the tongue 14 is fully inserted, the latch member 16 will be biased upwardly under the influence of the spring member 22, whereby the latching face 50 will engage the latching surface 64 to positively maintain the tongue member 14 in its latched position. Simultaneously, the spring member 22 will resiliently maintain the latch member 16 in a position wherein the marginal edge portions of the tongue member 14 will be clampingly secured between the undersides of the shoulder portions 36 and 38 and the edge portions 54, 56 of the latch member 16, thereby assuring against any relative movement of the tongue member 14 within the base member 12 upon insertion and latching thereof. This feature is of a particular importance in that it assures against rattling of the tongue member 14 and positively prevents spurious latching.

At such time as it is desired to unlatch the tongue member 14 from the assembly 10, the operator member 20 is depressed downwardly or in the direction of the arrow 158 in FIG. 7, whereby the operator member pivots about the end thereof disposed within the channel 142, thereby biasing the latch member 16 downwardly from the position illustrated in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 7. As the latch member 16 is thus moved, the latching face 50 thereof is disengaged from the latching surface 64 of the tongue member 14, and simultaneously, the surface 86 of the spring member 22 biases the tongue member 14 upwardly or away from the latch member 16, thereby permitting the tongue member 14 to be withdrawn from the opening 144. Upon release of the operator member 20, the spring member 22 will function to bias the latch member 16 and operator member 20 upwardly from the ac tuated position shown in FIG. 7 to the deactuated position shown in FIG. 5, preparatory to the next desired latching operation.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a new and improved seat belt buckle assembly which comprises a minirnnm number of parts and hence may be easily assembled and economically manufactured. By virtue of the fact that stress is transferred from the tongue 14 to the latch 16, thence to the latch retainer 39 which is essentially aligned with the belt receiving slot 38, the web 30 is subjected to tension only devoid of a bending movement. In addition, the various parts are compact in size without any loss in structural integrity or latching effectiveness. Thus, the present design readily lends itself to a construction which is of an extremely compact size. Accordingly, the present invention provides a seat buckle assembly 10 which is not only entirely free of exterior openings and appurtenances and thus presents a clean, smooth exterior surface, but which is extremely compact in size and positive in action.

What is claimed is:

1. In a safety belt buckle assembly,

a belt tongue having means thereon defining a latching surface,

a base member comprising a central web section with a latch retainer at one end thereof,

a latch member engaged in said latch retainer and having a latching face engageable with the latching surface of said belt tongue,

the web portion of said base member having a belt receiving opening at the other end thereof, from said retainer,

a manual, push button operator pivotable adjacent said retainer and movable toward said web section and engageable with said latch to affect disassociation thereof from said tongue,

cover means defining an opening providing manual access to said operator, and

means for biasing said latch member away from said web section and toward a position wherein said latching face thereof is engageable with said latching surface, said biasing means being a member formed with a generally U-shaped portion at one end adapted to be engaged with and locked to said latch member, an L-shaped portion formed at the other end engageable with said belt tongue, and a central portion connecting said U-shaped and L-shaped porions.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base member has upstanding flange sections with laterally inwardly projecting shoulder portions which extend parallel to said Web section to position laterally opposite edges of said tongue.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blasing means comprises a spring with said U-shaped portion clampingly engaged with said latch member and a portion juxtapositioned against said web section of said base member for urging said latch member toward said position wherein said latching face is engaged with said latching surface.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said L- shaped portion projects through an opening in said latch member and engages the underside of said tongue for urging the same out of engagement with said latching face upon actuation of said operator means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,181,215 5/1965 Eberhart 24230.1UX

3,237,258 3/1966 Fisher 24230.1UX

3,331,108 7/1967 Fisher 24-230.1UX

3,353,234 11/1967 Settimi 24230.1UX

3,364,531 l/l968 Moss 24230.1UX

FOREIGN PATENTS 818,988 8/1959 Great Britain 24-230.1

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 969 Dat d June 29, 1971 Inventor(s) Robert Cripps Fisher It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, lines 57-58 "The edge sections 112-118 are inclined ourwardly and should be The edge portion 138 of the cover member 18 projects Column 4, line 71 after "reentrantly" insert extending Signed and sealed this 16th day of November 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETOHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Acting Commissioner of Patents Atte sting Officer FORM PO-1050 0-59] USCOMM-DC mum-Pas 0 U 5 GOVEWHMENV PHINVING OFFHF I 6," U- .ihi-jll 

